Jan. 27, 2006
Greenwich’s John Sullivan, a junior offensive lineman from the University of Notre Dame, has been named by the Walter Camp Football Foundation as its 2005 “Connecticut Player of the Year.”
An experienced player who started at center for the Fighting Irish this season, the 6-foot 4-inch, 298-pound Sullivan was an integral part of an offensive attack that averaged 36.7 points and 477.3 yards of total offense a game. Notre Dame finished the 2005 season with a 9-3 record and finished ninth in the final Associated Press poll. It was the Fighting Irish’s first top-ten finish since 1993.
Sullivan played for head coach Rich Albonizio at Greenwich High School where he was a three-year two-way starter. In his senior year, Sullivan led the Cardinals to a FCIAC title and a berth in the Class LL state championship game. He was also named Gatorade Player of the Year in Connecticut as well as a Parade and SuperPrep All-American.
Sullivan joins former Brigham Young and San Francisco 49er quarterback Steve Young as former Greenwich High School standouts to capture Walter Camp’s Connecticut Player of the Year honor. Other recipients of the Connecticut Player of the Year include two-time winner and current Detroit Lions quarterback Dan Orlovsky (Connecticut, 2003 & 2004), current Oakland Raiders defensive lineman Antaj Hawthorne (Wisconsin, 2004), and current NFL All-Pro and Indianapolis Colts defensive end Dwight Freeney (Syracuse, 2001)
Sullivan and all of the major award winners as well as the members of the 2005 Walter Camp All-America team will be honored at the organization’s national awards banquet on Saturday, February 11 at the Yale University Commons in New Haven.
In addition, the Foundation will hold its annual Fan Fest on Friday, February 10 at the Connecticut SportsPlex on Route 80 in North Branford from 4:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Dinner ($250.00) and Fan Fest tickets ($10.00) can be purchased by calling (203) 288-CAMP.